Two major public lectures returned to Luther Seminary during residential focus sessions this winter and spring.

In early January, nearly 500 guests gathered in person and online to hear renowned New Testament Scholar Amy- Jill Levine (pictured above) deliver the Fretheim Lecture in Biblical Theology: “The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector: Why Knowledge of Jewish History Matters for Christian Preaching and Teaching.” Prior to the lecture, Levine held a free workshop on campus for area clergy and students.

“I cannot think of a more significant speaker and biblical scholar today than Amy-Jill Levine,” said Kathryn Schifferdecker, professor and Elva B. Lovell Chair of Old Testament. “She was a blessing to our Luther Seminary community, as she visited with faculty, staff, and students, and a gift to the wider Twin Cities community, as many folks came to campus to learn from her.”

The Terence E. and Faith L. Fretheim Lecture in Biblical Theology provides Luther Seminary and surrounding communities with access to biblical-theological scholarship by prominent scholars and theologians.

In February, ecologist and lay theologian Rick Lindroth visited campus to give the Rutlen Lecture on Faith and Creation: “Science, Truth, and Christian Faith in a Time of Eco-Crisis.”

“I was personally very excited to have Rick Lindroth as our Rutlen lecturer this year,” said Alan Padgett, professor and Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary Chair of Theology. “Good people everywhere need this kind of learning and call to action as we follow our Creator to heal and care for a hurting world.”

David Rutlen, a member of the seminary’s Board of Directors, established this series to examine the intersection between faith and eco-justice in honor of his parents, Robert William Ruotsalainen Rutlen and Elizabeth Jane Runn Rutlen.

Recordings of both lectures are available at luthersem.edu/events.